This is definitely in my top 5 creations of all time. Simple, delicious, and healthy!

Ingredient List

Unsweetened Chocolate 4 oz

Rolled Oats 1 cup

Unsweetened Cocoa 1/4 cup

Natural Peanut Butter 1 cup

Brown Rice Syrup 1 1/3 Cups

Vanilla Protein Powder 1 1/3 Cups

1. Spread oats on cookie sheet, and toast until

brown (8-10 minutes).

2. Mix all ingredients except oats in a microwave-

safe bowl on high for about 1 minute. Stir and repeat

until chocolate is melted. Mix in oats.

3. Spread onto lightly greased baking pan or dish,

and refrigerate.

4. When cooled, cut into bars. Makes 20 – 30.

Recipe serves 20 Calories Per Bar 235.3 (16 grams protein)

Recipe serves 30 Calories Per Bar 156.9 (10.7 grams protein)

Shoot me a message to tell me what you think! (tom@pulsegetsresults.com)

– Tom Pote, co-founder, B.A., CPT, CMT

We want to hear from you…share your success with this program on https://www.facebook.com/pulsefitnessprofessionals.

Program level = Intermediate

-Dan Crawford, co-founder, B.A, CPT 

An “oldie” but a goodie…

Pop a bag of fat-free microwave popcorn. Toss it with 2 tablespoons olive oil, then toss again with about a tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

– Tom Pote, co-founder, B.A., CPT, CMT

We want to hear from you…share your success with this program on https://www.facebook.com/pulsefitnessprofessionals.

Program level = Beginner

-Dan Crawford, co-founder, B.A, CPT 

(4 servings)

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat orzo, cooked according to package directions and drained well
• salt for pasta cooking water
• 4 cups fresh kale, chopped (about 4-5 oz. kale leaves)
• 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil, for pan used to wilt the kale
• 1 can (15.5 oz.) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained well
• 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
• 3/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese

Dressing Ingredients:

• zest and juice of one large lemon (about 1 T zest and 3 T juice)
• 2 T white balsamic vinegar (or substitute any type of mild white vinegar)
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil, add several generous pinches of salt and cook the orzo according to package directions, being careful not to overcook.  Drain into a fine-mesh colander and let the orzo cool while you prep the other directions.

If using a bunch of curly kale, cut the kale away from the stalks and coarsely chop.  (If needed, wash kale with a salad spinner and spin dry.)  Heat the tsp. of olive oil in a large heavy frying pan over medium high heat, add the kale all at once and turn over until it wilts, not more than 1-2 minutes.  Immediately put the kale in a bowl large enough to hold all the salad ingredients.

Drain the garbanzo beans into a colander placed in the sink, rinse well with cold water until no more foam appears, and let beans drain until they are quite dry.  (Blot with paper towels if needed.)  Finely chop half a red onion, and crumble enough Feta to make 3/4 cup.

Mix together the lemon juice, lemon zest, white balsamic vinegar, cumin, salt, and pepper, and then whisk in the olive oil to make the dressing.

When the orzo has cooled, add it to the bowl with the wilted kale.  Add the garbanzo beans and finely diced red onion and gently mix to combine.  Add dressing a few tablespoons at a time and gently stir until all the ingredients are well-coated with dressing.  (You probably won’t need all the dressing.)  Gently stir in the crumbled Feta and serve.

-Dan Crawford, co-founder, B.A, CPT

Makes 1 serving · Ready in 35 minutes

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup water
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 tbsp nonfat cottage cheese
1/4 tsp baking powder
Dash sea salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp allspice
1 piece crystallized ginger, crushed (optional; available in the spice section at supermarkets)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine all ingredients in an oven-proof bowl. Stir to mix thoroughly.
3. Place in oven and let bake for 30 minutes. Remove and serve.

Nutrients per serving:

Calories: 213, Total Fats: 3 g, Saturated Fat: 0.5 g, Trans Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 103 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 38 g, Dietary Fiber: 6 g, Sugars: 9 g Protein: 9 g, Iron: 2 mg

-Dan Crawford, co-founder, B.A, CPT

For those of you looking for a healthy light winter dinner then check this out! This is one of my favs!

This approach also known as the “80/20 plan” can help those of you that continue to find those excuses arise over and over.

For those of you who watch “The Biggest Loser” might of seen this on a recent episode…

-Dan Crawford, co-founder, B.A, CPT

Lack of motivation, boredom, and repetitive routines are one of the leading reasons why the majority of people have trouble sticking to a consistent exercise routine. Not to mention, lack of getting the results that is desired due to repeating the same workouts and exercises over and over.

Step into a fitness professional’s mental lab and see if any of these tips and tricks help you dust the cobwebs off of those running shoes.

Stick to the basics…

Try not to think too much into creating a new exercise routine, weight-training regimen, or cardiovascular routine. Simply use your resources and surroundings around you to take the thought out of it.

• These days, Comcast OnDemand offers a massive amount of exercise routines specially designed by fitness instructors to help you get that body moving. Try it out!
• Walk down the street to your local high school or park and utilize the track, enjoy the fresh air, change of environment, and watch the time fly. Try intervals of walking and light jogging to make the best out of your time.
• Use those dreaded stairs at work. Pack a pair of running shoes, shorts, iPod and a t-shirt and go to town during lunch break or after work. You’ll be surprised how many calories you burn. Hoofing out 10 flights of stairs will burn approximately 50 – 75 calories!

Group fitness…

There are all types of different gyms, health clubs, and various businesses that try to offer an assortment of group fitness classes. If you were discouraged in the past look for a local fitness company or fitness professional that specializes in group fitness. If you found the right one you’ll be surprised how far these services came. Ranging from customer service, knowledgeable and professional staff, to reinventing the fitness wheel in their own unique ways. Here’s a list of creative classes that are hot right now and halfway through the class you won’t even realize your exercising!

• Zumba – a Latin inspired class that combines fitness and dance to provide a fun upbeat workout that replicates an organized dance party.
• ZumbAtomic – Zumba for ages 4-12 that includes various forms of games, dances, and activities to keep the kids moving and burning calories without realizing it.
• Spinning – an indoor cycling class that allows each participant to go at their own pace while providing the challenge needed to burn calories and at the same time offer one of the best forms of a cardio out there.
• TurboKick – one of the hottest cardio kickboxing classes around for fitness training.
• Fitness Bootcamp – a form of cross training that will work every muscle in your body while providing cardiocascular endurance training, core strengthening, balance and functional training, and muscle confusion to provide quick and effective results.
• Piloxing – this latest Hollywood fitness craze mixes Pilates and boxing to provide a fun challenge while sculpting the body.

Seek professional advice…

Fitness is our job, not yours! If you feel that your time and money has been wasted up to this point then look into hiring a fitness professional. The job of a fitness professional is to reinvent the fitness wheel for you. Everyday we create fun and unique forms of exercise designed to keep you motivated and help provide those desired results you are looking for in a safe and effective way.

Check back for Pt. 2…

For more information on reinventing the fitness wheel feel free to contact fitness professional Dan Crawford, co-founder of Pulse Fitness Professionals at dan@pulsegetsresults.com.

–Dan Crawford, co-founder, B.A., CPT